![Mineral oil bottle, front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Mineral_oil_bottle%2C_front.jpg)
Mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of
higher alkanes
Higher alkanes are alkanes having nine or more carbon atoms. Nonane is the lightest alkane to have a flash point above 25 °C, and is not classified as dangerously flammable.
The term ''higher alkanes'' is sometimes used literally as "alkanes ...
from a
mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...
source, particularly a distillate of
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
, as distinct from usually edible
vegetable oil
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fat ...
s.
The name 'mineral oil' by itself is imprecise, having been used for many specific oils over the past few centuries. Other names, similarly imprecise, include 'white oil', 'paraffin oil', '
liquid paraffin' (a highly refined medical grade), (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
), and 'liquid petroleum'.
Most often, mineral oil is a liquid
by-product
A by-product or byproduct is a secondary product derived from a production process, manufacturing process or chemical reaction; it is not the primary product or service being produced.
A by-product can be useful and marketable or it can be consid ...
of
refining
{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Refining (also perhaps called by the mathematical term affining) is the process of purification of a (1) substance or a (2) form. The term is usually used of a natural resource that is almost in a usable form, b ...
crude oil
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...
to make
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
and other
petroleum product
Petroleum products are materials derived from crude oil (petroleum) as it is processed in oil refineries. Unlike petrochemicals, which are a collection of well-defined usually pure organic compounds, petroleum products are complex mixtures. The m ...
s. This type of mineral oil is a
transparent
Transparency, transparence or transparent most often refer to:
* Transparency (optics), the physical property of allowing the transmission of light through a material
They may also refer to:
Literal uses
* Transparency (photography), a still, ...
, colorless oil, composed mainly of
alkane
In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical trivial name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in which ...
s and
cycloalkane
In organic chemistry, the cycloalkanes (also called naphthenes, but distinct from naphthalene) are the monocyclic saturated hydrocarbons. In other words, a cycloalkane consists only of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a structure containing ...
s, related to
petroleum jelly
Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin, or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons (with carbon numbers mainly higher than 25), originally promoted as a topical ointment for its h ...
. It has a
density
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...
of around .
Nomenclature
Some of the imprecision in the definition of the names used for mineral oil (such as 'white oil') reflects usage by consumers and merchants who did not know, and usually had no need of knowing, the oil's precise chemical makeup. Merriam-Webster states the first use of the term "mineral oil" as being 1771. Prior to the late 19th century, the chemical science to determine the makeup of an oil was unavailable in any case. A similar lexical situation occurred with the term "
white metal
The white metals are a series of often decorative bright metal alloys used as a base for plated silverware, ornaments or novelties, as well as any of several lead-based or tin-based alloys used for things like bearings, jewellery, miniature f ...
".
"Mineral oil", sold widely and cheaply in the US, is not sold as such in Britain. Instead, British pharmacologists use the terms "paraffinum perliquidum" for light mineral oil and "paraffinum liquidum" or "paraffinum subliquidum" for somewhat more viscous varieties. The term "paraffinum liquidum" is often seen on the ingredient lists of baby oil and
cosmetics
Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
. British
aromatherapist
Aromatherapy is based on the usage of aromatic materials including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological and physical well-being. It is offered as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative me ...
s commonly use the term "white mineral oil". In lubricating oils, mineral oil is termed from groups 1 to 2 worldwide and group 3 in certain regions. This is because the high end of group 3 mineral lubricating oils are so pure that they exhibit properties similar to
polyalphaolefin – PAO oils (group 4 synthetics).
Toxicology
The
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
classifies minimally treated mineral oils as
carcinogens group 1 known to be carcinogenic to humans; Highly refined oils are classified group 3 as not suspected to be carcinogenic, from known available information sufficient to classify them as harmless.
The UK
Food Standards Agency
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(FSA) carried out a risk assessment on the migration of components from printing inks used on carton-board packaging—including mineral oils—into food in 2011, based on the findings of a survey conducted in the same year. The FSA did not identify any specific food safety concerns due to inks.
People can be exposed to mineral oil mist in the workplace through inhalation, skin contact, or eye contact. In the United States, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agenc ...
has set the
legal limit for mineral oil mist exposure in the workplace as over an 8-hour workday, the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the C ...
has set a
recommended exposure limit
A recommended exposure limit (REL) is an occupational exposure limit that has been recommended by the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The REL is a level that NIOSH believes would be protective of worker safet ...
of over an 8-hour workday, with a previous limit of for short-term exposure rescinded according to the 2019 Guide to Occupational Exposure Values compiled by the
ACGIH
The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) is a professional association of industrial hygienists and practitioners of related professions, with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of its goals is to advance worker p ...
. Levels of and higher are indicated as
immediately dangerous to life and health
The term immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) is defined by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as exposure to airborne contaminants that is "likely to cause death or immediate or delayed permanent advers ...
. However, current toxicological data does not contain any evidence of irreversible health effects due to short-term exposure at any level; the current value of is indicated as being arbitrary.
Applications
Biomedicine
Laxative
Mineral oil is used as a
laxative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...
to alleviate
constipation
Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement ...
by retaining water in
stool and the
intestines
The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...
. Although generally considered safe, as noted above, there is a concern of mist inhalation leading to serious health conditions such as
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
.
Mineral oil can be administered either orally or rectally. It is sometimes used as a lubricant in
enema
An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum.Cullingworth, ''A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical'':155 The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected, as well as to a device ...
preparations as most of the ingested material is excreted in the stool rather than being absorbed by the body.
[WHO Food Additive Monograph 70.39]
, retrieved 20 Sep 2009
Personal lubricant
It is recommended by the
American Society for Reproductive Medicine
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization for advancement of the science and practice of reproductive medicine. The society has its headquarters in Washington, D.C and its administrativ ...
for use as a fertility-preserving
vaginal lubrication
Vaginal lubrication is a naturally produced fluid that lubricates a
vagina. Vaginal lubrication is always present, but production increases significantly near ovulation and during sexual arousal in anticipation of sexual intercourse. Vaginal ...
. However, it is known that oils degrade
latex condoms.
Cell culture
Mineral oil of special purity is often used as an overlay covering micro drops of
culture medium
A growth medium or culture medium is a solid, liquid, or semi-solid designed to support the growth of a population of microorganisms or cells via the process of cell proliferation or small plants like the moss ''Physcomitrella patens''. Differe ...
in
petri dish
A Petri dish (alternatively known as a Petri plate or cell-culture dish) is a shallow transparent lidded dish that biologists use to hold growth medium in which cells can be cultured,R. C. Dubey (2014): ''A Textbook Of Biotechnology For Class- ...
es, during the culture of oocytes and embryos in
IVF
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) f ...
and related procedures. The use of oil presents several advantages over the open culture system: it allows for several oocytes and embryos to be cultured simultaneously, but observed separately, in the same dish; it minimizes concentration and pH changes by preventing evaporation of the medium; it allows for a significant reduction of the medium volume used (as few as per oocyte instead of several milliliters for the batch culture); and it serves as a temperature buffer minimizing thermal shock to the cells while the dish is taken out of the incubator for observation.
Veterinary
Over-the-counter
veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...
-use mineral oil is intended as a mild laxative for pets and livestock. Certain mineral oils are used in livestock
vaccine
A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...
s, as an
adjuvant In pharmacology, an adjuvant is a drug or other substance, or a combination of substances, that is used to increase the efficacy or potency of certain drugs. Specifically, the term can refer to:
* Adjuvant therapy in cancer management
* Analgesic ...
to stimulate a cell-mediated immune response to the vaccinating agent. In the
poultry industry
Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion ch ...
, plain mineral oil can also be swabbed onto the feet of chickens infected with
scaly mite
Scaly may refer to:
* something with the appearance of a scale
* Scaly-breasted lorikeet
The scaly-breasted lorikeet (''Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus'') is an Australian lorikeet found in woodland in eastern Australia. The common name aptly ...
s on the shank, toes, and webs. Mineral oil suffocates these tiny parasites. In
beekeeping
Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...
, food grade mineral oil-saturated paper napkins placed in hives are used as a treatment for tracheal and other
mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
s. It is also used along with a cotton swab to remove un-shed skin (
ashes) on reptiles such as lizards and snakes.
Cosmetics
Mineral oil is a common ingredient in
baby lotions,
cold cream
Cold cream is an emulsion of water and certain fats, usually including beeswax and various scent agents, designed to smooth skin and remove makeup. Cold cream is an emulsion of water in a larger amount of oil, unlike the oil in water emulsion of ...
s,
ointments
A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...
, and cosmetics. It is a lightweight inexpensive oil that is odorless and tasteless. It can be used on
eyelashes
An eyelash (also called lash) (Latin: ''Cilia'') is one of the hairs that grows at the edge of the eyelids. It grows in one layer on the edge of the upper and lower eyelids. Eyelashes protect the eye from debris, dust, and small particles and p ...
to prevent brittleness and breaking and, in
cold cream
Cold cream is an emulsion of water and certain fats, usually including beeswax and various scent agents, designed to smooth skin and remove makeup. Cold cream is an emulsion of water in a larger amount of oil, unlike the oil in water emulsion of ...
, is also used to remove creme make-up and
temporary tattoo
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing pr ...
s. One of the common concerns regarding the use of mineral oil is its presence on several lists of
comedogenic
The term acne cosmetica refers to acne caused by or aggravated by cosmetics. The mechanism is thought to be chemically induced plugging of the pilosebaceous orifice. This became a significant problem for dermatologists in the 1970s and 1980s, bu ...
substances. These lists of comedogenic substances were developed many years ago and are frequently quoted in the dermatological literature.
The type of highly refined and purified mineral oil found in cosmetic and skincare products is noncomedogenic (does not clog pores).
Mechanical, electrical, and industrial
![Oil heater](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Oil_heater.jpg)
Mineral oil is used in a variety of industrial/mechanical capacities as a non-conductive
coolant
A coolant is a substance, typically liquid, that is used to reduce or regulate the temperature of a system. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, chemically inert and neither causes nor promotes corrosio ...
or thermal fluid in electric components as it does not conduct electricity and functions to displace air and water. Some examples are in
transformer
A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...
s, where it is known as
transformer oil Transformer oil or insulating oil is an oil that is stable at high temperatures and has excellent electrical insulating properties. It is used in oil-filled transformers (wet transformers), some types of high-voltage capacitors, fluorescent lamp b ...
, and in high-voltage
switchgear
In an electric power system, a switchgear is composed of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers used to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment. Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to be ...
, where mineral oil is used as an insulator and as a coolant to disperse switching arcs. The
dielectric constant
The relative permittivity (in older texts, dielectric constant) is the permittivity of a material expressed as a ratio with the electric permittivity of a vacuum. A dielectric is an insulating material, and the dielectric constant of an insulat ...
of mineral oil ranges from 2.3 at to 2.1 at .
Mineral oil is used as a
lubricant
A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...
, a
cutting fluid
Cutting fluid is a type of coolant and lubricant designed specifically for metalworking processes, such as machining and stamping. There are various kinds of cutting fluids, which include oils, oil-water emulsions, pastes, gels, aerosols (mists) ...
, and as a conditioning oil for
jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...
fibres selected for
textile production, a process known as 'jute batching'.
Spindle oils are light mineral oils used as lubricants in
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
industries. Electric space heaters sometimes use mineral oil as a
heat transfer oil. Because it is noncompressible, mineral oil is used as a
hydraulic fluid
A hydraulic fluid or hydraulic liquid is the medium by which power is transferred in hydraulic machinery. Common hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil or water. Examples of equipment that might use hydraulic fluids are excavators and backhoe ...
in
hydraulic machinery
Hydraulic machines use liquid fluid power to perform work. Heavy construction vehicles are a common example. In this type of machine, hydraulic fluid is pumped to various hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders throughout the machine and b ...
and vehicles.
Lubricants used for older
refrigerator
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
and
air conditioning
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
compressor
A compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume. An air compressor is a specific type of gas compressor.
Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transp ...
s are based on mineral oil, especially those using
R-22 refrigerant
A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the heat pump and refrigeration cycle, refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Ref ...
.
An often-cited limitation of mineral oil is that it is poorly biodegradable; in some applications,
vegetable oils
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fat ...
such as
cottonseed oil
Cottonseed oil is cooking oil from the seeds of cotton plants of various species, mainly ''Gossypium hirsutum'' and ''Gossypium herbaceum'', that are grown for cotton fiber, animal feed, and oil.
Cotton seed has a similar structure to other oi ...
or
rapeseed oil
Close-up of canola blooms
Canola flower
Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, i ...
may be used instead.
Food preparation
![End grain cutting board](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/End_grain_cutting_board.jpg)
Because of its properties that prevent water absorption, combined with its lack of flavor and odor, food grade mineral oil is a popular preservative for wooden
cutting board
A cutting board (or chopping board) is a durable board on which to place material for cutting. The kitchen cutting board is commonly used in preparing food; other types exist for cutting raw materials such as leather or plastic. Kitchen cutting b ...
s,
salad bowl A salad bowl is a serving dish for salad. It can also refer to:
* Salad bowl (cultural idea), a cultural idea referring to the United States
* Salad Bowl (game), a defunct, annual, post-season college football bowl game
* Salad Bowl strike, a seri ...
s, and
utensils. Periodically rubbing a small amount of mineral oil into a wooden kitchen item impedes absorption of food liquids, and thereby food odors, easing the process of hygienically cleaning wooden utensils and equipment. The use of mineral oil to impede water absorption can also prevent cracks and splits from forming in wooden utensils due to wetting and drying cycles. However, some of the mineral oil used on these items, if in contact with food, will be picked up by it and therefore ingested.
Outside of the European Union, mineral oil is occasionally used in the food industry, particularly for
confectionery
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
. In this application, it is typically used for the glossy effect it produces, and to prevent the candy pieces from adhering to each other. It has been discouraged for use in children's foods, though it is still found in many confectioneries, including
Swedish Fish
Swedish Fish is a fish-shaped, chewy candy originally developed by Swedish candy producer Malaco in the late 1950s for the U.S. market. They come in a variety of colors and flavors.
Ingredients
Swedish Fish contains:
* Sugar
* Invert su ...
. The use of food grade mineral oil is self-limiting because of its laxative effect. The maximum daily intake is calculated to be about , of which some are contributed from its use on machines in the baking industry.
Other uses
![Mineral oil treating butcher block](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Mineral_oil_treating_butcher_block.png)
Mineral oil's ubiquity has led to its use in some niche applications as well:
* Mineral oil is used for treating and preserving wooden butcher block counter tops.
* It is commonly used to create a wear effect on new clay
poker chip
Casino tokens (also known as casino or gaming chips, checks, cheques or poker chips) are small discs used in terms of currency in casinos. Colored metal, injection-molded plastic or compression molded clay tokens of various denominations are us ...
s, which can otherwise be accomplished only through prolonged use. Either the chips are placed in mineral oil for a short time, or the oil is applied to each chip then rubbed off. This removes any chalky residue left over from manufacture, and also improves the look and feel of the chips.
* Mineral oil is used as the principal fuel in some types of gel-type scented candles.
* It is used for cooling, such as in the
liquid submersion cooling of components in some custom-built computers.
* Veterinarian-grade mineral oil is inexpensive, and is frequently used by
amateur radio
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...
operators as coolant in RF
dummy load
A dummy load is a device used to simulate an electrical load, usually for testing purposes. In radio a dummy antenna is connected to the output of a radio transmitter and electrically simulates an antenna, to allow the transmitter to be adjust ...
s, as mineral oil is typically used as the insulating and cooling fluid in large electrical equipment such as transformers.
* Mineral oil is used as a
brake fluid
Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid used in hydraulic brake and hydraulic clutch applications in automobiles, motorcycles, light trucks, and some bicycles. It is used to transfer force into pressure, and to amplify braking force. It works ...
in some cars, such as
Citroën
Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...
models with hydrodynamic suspension, and bicycle disc brakes.
* Mineral oil is burned in specialized machines (both manufactured and home-made) to produce a thick white smoke that is then blown into automotive evaporative emissions (EVAP) systems to find leaks.
* It is used for polishing
alabaster
Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...
in stonework and lubricating and cleaning pocket knives or food handling tools that use an open bearing, thus needing periodic lubrication. Light mineral oil (paraffinum perliquidum) is used as a
honing oil
Honing oil is a liquid, solution or emulsion used to aid in the cutting or grinding of metal, typically by abrasive tools or stones, and may or may not contain oil. It can also be called ''machining oil,'' ''tool oil'', ''cutting fluid'', and ''c ...
when sharpening edge tools (such as chisels) on abrasive oil stones. Mineral oil USP or light mineral oil can be used as an anti-rust agent for blades.
* It is an inexpensive alternative for storing reactive metals, such as the alkali metals,
lithium
Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid el ...
,
potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K (from Neo-Latin ''kalium'') and atomic number19. Potassium is a silvery-white metal that is soft enough to be cut with a knife with little force. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmosphe ...
and
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...
.
* Horticultural oil is often made with mineral oil as the active ingredient. It is sprayed on plants to control scale, aphid, and other pest populations by suffocation.
* Before the widespread adoption of thermocyclers with heated lids, it was common practice to use mineral oil to overlay
polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to rapidly make millions to billions of copies (complete or partial) of a specific DNA sample, allowing scientists to take a very small sample of DNA and amplify it (or a part of it) t ...
s in
biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...
to prevent loss of water during heating cycles. It is often used to suspend crystals for use in
X-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...
.
* It is used as a transparent collision material for reactions in particle physics, as in the
MiniBooNE
MiniBooNE is a Cherenkov detector experiment at Fermilab designed to observe neutrino oscillations (BooNE is an acronym for the Booster Neutrino Experiment). A neutrino beam consisting primarily of muon neutrinos is directed at a detector fi ...
neutrino oscillation experiment.
* As a relatively low heat combustible with no flavor or odor, mineral oil can be used in
fire breathing
Fire breathing, fire-breathing, firebreathing, fire breather, or firebreather may refer to:
* Fire-breathing monster, a mythological or fantastical monster able to breathe fire
* Fire breathing (circus act)
Fire breathing is the ac ...
and
firedancing for entertainment, but there is a risk of injury.
* Paraffin oil is commonly used to fill
Galileo thermometer
A Galileo thermometer (or Galilean thermometer) is a thermometer made of a sealed glass cylinder containing a clear liquid and several glass vessels of varying density. The individual floats rise or fall in proportion to their respective density ...
s. Due to paraffin oil's freezing temperature being lower than that of water (approx. ), this makes them less susceptible to freezing during shipment or when stored in a cold environment.
See also
*
Oil analysis
Oil analysis (OA) is the laboratory analysis of a lubricant's properties, suspended contaminants, and wear debris. ''OA'' is performed during routine predictive maintenance to provide meaningful and accurate information on lubricant and machine con ...
*
Penetrating oil
Penetrating oil, also known as penetrating fluid, is very low-viscosity oil. It can be used to free rusted mechanical parts (such as nuts and bolts) so that they can be removed, because it can penetrate into the narrow space between the threads ...
References
External links
"Safety and Health Guideline for Oil Mist, Mineral Oil" Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration'' (OSHA ) is a large regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. Congress established the agenc ...
* Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Safe handling of Alkali Metals*
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
Report on food safety of mineral oil 1970
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mineral Oil
Laxatives
Petroleum products
Cosmetics chemicals
Petroleum based lubricants
Oils
Coolants
Household chemicals